BADGER
J O U R N A L S

A journal club dedicated to reading, discussing, and reviewing the latest scientific papers — making cutting-edge research accessible to everyone.

Our Digests
BADGER
C A R D I O V A S C U L A R
D I G E S T

Student-written reviews of the latest discoveries in heart disease, vascular biology, cardiac regeneration, and metabolic disease.

BADGER
C A N C E R
D I G E S T

Student-written reviews exploring oncology, tumor biology, immunotherapy, and the latest breakthroughs in cancer research.

BADGER
N E U R O S C I E N C E
D I G E S T

Student-written reviews covering neurodegeneration, neural circuits, brain-computer interfaces, and the latest in cognitive science.

Badger Journals is a student-run organization dedicated to making scientific research accessible to everyone. Through our journal clubs, we read, discuss, and write about the latest discoveries across multiple fields of science.

Learn More
UW-Madison Campus
Photo Credit: University of Wisconsin

Badger Journals is built by passionate undergraduate students from across UW-Madison. Our members develop real skills in scientific writing, critical reading, and research communication while staying at the forefront of discovery.

Meet the Team
BADGER
C A R D I O V A S C U L A R    D I G E S T
Cardiovascular Digest

Novel Biomarkers in Early Detection of Heart Failure

By Jane Doe, John Smith  ·  March 2025
A review of recent research identifying novel protein and genetic biomarkers that enable earlier, more accurate diagnosis of heart failure.
Cardiovascular Digest

SGLT2 Inhibitors and Cardiac Protection

By Michael Lee  ·  January 2025
An overview of how SGLT2 inhibitors reduce cardiovascular risk and protect the heart beyond their original use as diabetes medications.
BADGER
C A N C E R    D I G E S T
Cancer Digest

Tumor Microenvironments and Immunotherapy Resistance

By Emily Chen  ·  February 2025
This review explores how the tumor microenvironment contributes to immunotherapy resistance and highlights emerging strategies to overcome these barriers.
Cancer Digest

KRAS Mutations and Targeted Therapy in Pancreatic Cancer

By Marcus Lee  ·  January 2025
An overview of recent breakthroughs in targeting KRAS mutations, long considered undruggable, and their implications for treating pancreatic and other solid tumors.
BADGER
N E U R O S C I E N C E    D I G E S T
Neuroscience Digest

Neuroinflammation and Its Role in Alzheimer's Disease Progression

By Sarah Kim  ·  March 2025
This review examines how chronic neuroinflammation driven by microglial activation contributes to amyloid plaque formation and tau pathology in Alzheimer's disease.
Neuroscience Digest

Optogenetics: Illuminating Neural Circuit Function

By David Park  ·  February 2025
An overview of how optogenetic tools are being used to dissect the neural circuits underlying behavior, memory, and neurological disorders.

As an undergraduate researcher, you are often thrown into the world of research with little understanding of how it works. Fortunately, an incredible amount of knowledge is freely available online through academic journals and scientific publications. However, finding, reading, and understanding primary research articles can be challenging, especially for students who are new to research.

Equally important, and often even more difficult, is communicating what you learn to others. The ability to critically analyze scientific literature, identify key findings, and clearly explain complex concepts is essential for success in research. Whether you plan to continue in research, attend graduate school, pursue medicine, or enter industry, these skills will remain valuable throughout your career.

Badger Journals was created to help undergraduate students develop these abilities. Through reading, discussing, and writing about scientific research, members gain experience interpreting scientific literature while staying informed about the latest discoveries across a range of fields. Our goal is to make cutting-edge research more accessible while helping students become stronger scientists and communicators.

Executive Board

T

Ty Weaver

President & Founder
Molecular Biology, Class of 2028
J

Jedd Jang

Vice President & Co-Founder
Biochemistry, Class of 2028
S

Sunay Patel

Treasurer
Political & Data Science, Class of 2028

Digest Leadership

T

Ty Weaver & Jedd Jang

Cardiovascular Digest Directors
Molecular Biology & Biochemistry, Class of 2028
A

Adit Bhootra

Cancer Digest Director
Biology, Class of 2028
M

Mia Ngo

Neuroscience Digest Director
Neuroscience, Class of 2028

Outreach & Media

K

Kevin Tran

Outreach Chair
Neuroscience, Class of 2028
M

TBD

Media Chair
TBD
M

TBD

Media Chair
TBD
Cardiovascular Digest

Novel Biomarkers in Early Detection of Heart Failure

By Jane Doe, John Smith  ·  March 2025
A review of recent research identifying novel protein and genetic biomarkers that enable earlier, more accurate diagnosis of heart failure.
Cancer Digest

Tumor Microenvironments and Immunotherapy Resistance

By Emily Chen  ·  February 2025
This review explores how the tumor microenvironment contributes to immunotherapy resistance and highlights emerging strategies to overcome these barriers.
Neuroscience Digest

Neuroinflammation and Its Role in Alzheimer's Disease Progression

By Sarah Kim  ·  January 2025
This review examines how chronic neuroinflammation driven by microglial activation contributes to amyloid plaque formation and tau pathology in Alzheimer's disease.

Meeting Details

When: TBD

Where: TBD

Who: Open to all UW-Madison students

What to Expect

Each meeting we select a recent paper, read it in advance, and come together to discuss the findings, methods, and implications. No prior research experience required — just curiosity!

Upcoming Meetings

Sun
Mon
Tue
Wed
Thu
Fri
Sat
Meeting day

Create the Next Digest

Badger Journals is expanding. We believe every area of science deserves accessible student-written reviews. If you are passionate about a research area, we want to help you build the next Badger Journals digest.

Research Areas We're Expanding Into

Our model of student-driven science communication is proven. Now we're looking for passionate students to launch new digests in other cutting-edge fields.

🦠

Infectious Disease

Emerging pathogens, antimicrobial resistance, virology, and vaccine development.

💊

Pharmacology

Drug discovery, clinical trials, pharmacogenomics, and translational medicine.

🌱

Environmental Science

Climate biology, ecology, conservation genomics, and environmental health.

🌍

Public Health

Epidemiology, health policy, disease prevention, and population health research.

🔬

Immunology

Autoimmune disease, T cell biology, innate immunity, and allergy research.

🤖

Computational Biology

Bioinformatics, AI in medicine, structural biology, and systems biology.

Your Field

Passionate about a research area not listed here? We want to hear from you. Any field of science is welcome at Badger Journals.

Get in touch →

Interested in Starting a Digest?

Tell us about yourself and the research area you want to cover.

Get Involved

Interested in joining Badger Journals? Fill out the form below and we'll be in touch.

Start a New Digest

Want to launch a new Badger Journals digest? Let us know.